Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): A veces un pequeño truco creativo, como cambiar de lugar, ayuda a recordar mejor las palabras. - Sometimes a small creative trick, like changing places, helps to remember words better.

Un pequeño truco creativo, como cambiar de lugar, a veces ayuda a recordar mejor las palabras.
Un pequeño truco creativo, como cambiar de lugar, ayuda a recordar mejor las palabras a veces.

All three are grammatically possible, but:

At the beginning sounds the most natural and neutral.
At the very end can sound a bit heavier or less smooth in Spanish.

Why is it “un pequeño truco creativo” and not “un truco pequeño creativo”?

Spanish prefers a certain order of adjectives.

“Pequeño” (size / subjective, often evaluative) usually goes before the noun:
- un pequeño truco (sounds idiomatic, like “a little trick” in English)
- un truco pequeño is possible but sounds more like physically small.
“Creativo” (a more descriptive quality) normally goes after the noun:
- un truco creativo = a creative trick

So “un pequeño truco creativo” follows a common pattern:

[optional/evaluative adjective] + [noun] + [descriptive adjective]
pequeño + truco + creativo

What does “cambiar de lugar” literally mean, and is it different from just “cambiar lugar”?

Literally, “cambiar de lugar” means “to change place” / “to change location”.

In this context, it suggests doing something like:
- moving to another room
- sitting in a different spot
- studying in a new environment

In idiomatic Spanish, you almost always say:

cambiar de lugar
Not: cambiar lugar (that sounds odd or incomplete).

Think of “cambiar de + noun” as a pattern:

cambiar de casa = to move house
cambiar de trabajo = to change jobs
cambiar de lugar = to change places / location

When do you use “cambiar de lugar” vs “cambiarse de lugar”?

Both exist, but they focus on different things:

cambiar de lugar (non‑reflexive): focus on the action of changing location in general
- Cambiar de lugar ayuda a recordar mejor las palabras.
  Changing places helps you remember words better.
cambiarse de lugar (reflexive): focus on you yourself moving to a different spot
- Me voy a cambiar de lugar.
  I’m going to move (to a different seat/spot).

In the sentence given, “como cambiar de lugar” is general: like changing location (in general), so the non‑reflexive form is appropriate.

What is “como” doing here? Is it “like” or “as,” and is it the same as saying “for example”?

In this sentence:

…un pequeño truco creativo, como cambiar de lugar,…

“como” means “such as / like” (giving an example).

It’s very similar to English “like” or “such as”:

un pequeño truco creativo, como cambiar de lugar
= a small creative trick, such as changing location

You could also say:

…un pequeño truco creativo, por ejemplo, cambiar de lugar…
(for example, changing location)

So “como” here is functioning like “for example,” just in a more compact way.

Why is there a comma before “como cambiar de lugar”?

The comma separates:

the general idea: un pequeño truco creativo
from the example: como cambiar de lugar

It’s similar to English:

“Sometimes a small creative trick, like changing location, helps…”

You could also write it without the first comma in more informal writing:

A veces un pequeño truco creativo como cambiar de lugar ayuda…

But with the commas it’s a bit clearer that “como cambiar de lugar” is a parenthetical example.

Why is it “ayuda a recordar” and not just “ayuda recordar”?

In Spanish, when “ayudar” is followed by another verb in the infinitive, it’s very common (and strongly preferred) to use “a”:

ayudar a + infinitive

So:

ayuda a recordar = helps (to) remember
ayuda a estudiar = helps (to) study
me ayuda a dormir = it helps me (to) sleep

You might see “ayuda recordar” in some contexts, but it’s much less standard; “ayuda a recordar” is the natural, recommended form.

Could I say “ayuda para recordar” instead of “ayuda a recordar”?

You can say “ayuda para recordar”, but there is a nuance:

ayuda a recordar
Focus on the action actually happening: it helps you remember.
ayuda para recordar
More like “a help/aid for remembering” (sounds a bit more like a purpose).

In everyday speech for this kind of sentence, “ayuda a recordar mejor las palabras” is more natural and direct.

Why is it “recordar” and not “recordarse” here?

“Recordar” can be:

transitive (with a direct object):
- recordar las palabras = to remember the words
reflexive “recordarse de” also exists, but is less common and more regional:
- acordarse de is much more common than recordarse de.

In standard modern usage:

recordar algo = to remember something
acordarse de algo = to remember something

So the natural forms are:

recordar las palabras
acordarse de las palabras

“Recordarse” with a direct object is generally not used in contemporary standard Spanish.

Why is it “las palabras” with “las”? Could you just say “recordar mejor palabras”?

In Spanish, when you talk about things in a general / generic way, you usually use the definite article:

las palabras = (the) words in general
las frutas = fruit (as a category)
los perros = dogs (as a category)

So:

ayuda a recordar mejor las palabras
= helps you remember words better (in general)

You could say “recordar mejor palabras”, but it sounds incomplete or telegraphic. The natural idiomatic way is “recordar mejor las palabras”.

Why does “mejor” go between “recordar” and “las palabras”? Could I say “recordar las palabras mejor”?

“Mejor” is an adverb here: “better”.

All of these are grammatically correct:

recordar mejor las palabras
recordar las palabras mejor

The most natural, flowing version is:

recordar mejor las palabras

Spanish likes to put adverbs like mejor, bien, mal close to the verb:

hablar bien español
entender bien la idea
recordar mejor las palabras

“Recordar las palabras mejor” is not wrong; it just sounds a bit less smooth.

Who is the subject of “ayuda” in this sentence? Why isn’t it “ayudan”?

The verb form “ayuda” is 3rd person singular, so its subject must be singular.

The subject is:

un pequeño truco creativo, como cambiar de lugar

So we have:

Un pequeño truco creativo (…) ayuda a recordar…
A small creative trick (…) helps you remember…

If the sentence had a plural subject, then we’d use “ayudan”:

A veces unos pequeños trucos creativos ayudan a recordar mejor las palabras.
Sometimes small creative tricks help you remember words better.

Could I add “te” and say “te ayuda a recordar mejor las palabras”?

Yes. That would be very natural:

A veces un pequeño truco creativo, como cambiar de lugar, te ayuda a recordar mejor las palabras.

Here:

te = “you” (informal singular, direct or indirect object pronoun)
The meaning is clearer: …helps you remember…

Without “te”, the sentence is more impersonal / general:
…helps to remember words better (in general).
With “te”, it directly addresses you.

In Latin American Spanish, would someone be more likely to say “recordar” or “acordarse de” in this context?

Both are used in Latin America, but patterns vary by region and personal style.

recordar is very common and neutral everywhere:
- …ayuda a recordar mejor las palabras.
acordarse de is also widely used:
- …ayuda a acordarse mejor de las palabras.

Differences:

recordar + direct object (no preposition):
- recordar las palabras
acordarse de + object (reflexive + de):
- acordarse de las palabras

In a textbook‑style, neutral sentence like this one, “recordar” is a bit simpler and more straightforward for learners.